Just the Zoo of Us

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen lets Pallas's cat out of the bag & Christian probes into the world of the sensitive kiwi. We discuss grumpy cats, spawncamping, chilly beans, buff legs and giant eggs.Check out Benjamin Lancer's paper on dragonfly attention in Nature!Watch Wildlife Instincts: Pallas's Cat - Master of the Plains on YouTube!Learn more about how you can help the kiwi!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Discord!Cover photos: Radovan Zierik via Getty images (Pallas's cat), Lakeview Images via Getty (kiwi)

Join Ellen & special guest, podcaster and invertebrate enthusiast Tom Sharpe, as we leap into the world of the tiny menace: fleas! We discuss the intersection of entomology and Pokemon, blind leaps of faith, tiny little cowboys riding their trusty steeds up cave walls, the history of fleas on leashes, and more.For more of Tom's invertebrate podcasting, check out Grubbing in the Filth: An Invertebrate Podcast! Follow along on Twitter & Instagram.Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Discord & join Ellen for weekly video game streams on Twitch!Cover photo: Jugas via Getty images

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Christian barks about the loud wet dog of the Pacific coast, the California sea lion, and Ellen gets to know her bottomfeeding best friend, the giant isopod. In this episode, we discuss our recent trip to Monterey Bay, pinniped evolution, whale falls, and Hello Kitty Darth Vader. Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Discord & join Ellen for weekly video game streams on Twitch!Cover photos: cwinegarden via Getty images (sea lion), Monterey Bay Aquarium via Twitter post (giant isopod)

Join Ellen & special guest, anthropologist & cetologist Drew Smith, for a review of the adorable little apex predators zipping through the waves: dolphins! We talked about animal charisma, dolphin culture and society and play, a West Side Story-style rivalry, a whale’s favorite ice cream flavor, and how these animals so different from us have flipped and whistled their way into our human hearts.Follow Drew on Twitter!Learn more about upcoming Paleolithic historical fiction novel Jih's Journey   here!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Discord & join Ellen for weekly video game streams on Twitch!Cover photo provided by Drew Smith

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen brings a flair for drama with the hognose snake & Christian shatters expectations with the lightning-fast strike of the cone snail. We discuss feigning death, longleaf pine forests, and stealthy assassins of the reef.For more information on longleaf pine forest conservation, check out the Longleaf Alliance.Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Discord & join Ellen for weekly video game streams on Twitch!Cover photos: Mark Kostich (hognose snake) via Getty images, Richard Ling (cone snail) via WikipediaAudio from Don Giovanni via Wikimedia Commons

Join Ellen & special guest musician from Jukebox the Ghost, comic artist behind "Candy Hearts" and "I Hope This Helps," and birder Tommy Siegel for a review of the touring musicians of the North American skies: sandhill cranes. We talk about the mental health benefits of birding, how crane couples keep the romance alive, what a musical interpretation of their iconic call might sound like, and more.Follow Tommy on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Learn more about his work on his website. Calendars, prints and stickers of Extremely Accurate Birds can be ordered here!Learn more about Jukebox the Ghost at their website & listen to their new album Cheers wherever you get your music!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Discord & join Ellen for weekly video game streams on Twitch!Tune in to Science & Sorcery at 2pm eastern on Friday, July 22nd for a D&D adventure!Cover photo: bookguy via Getty imagesCrane sound effect recorded by Tim Kahn, obtained via freesound.org 

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's poisonous amphibian showcase, Christian takes competition to a whole new level with the rough-skinned newt and Ellen takes a leap of faith with the pumpkin toadlet. We discuss an evolutionary grappling match, the drawbacks of being too tiny, and glowing bones.Learn more about how you can help the Atlantic Forest by visiting Copaíba's website.Check out Ellen's guest appearances this week:"Don’t Go in the Water: A Guide to the Wonderful & Wacky Animals of Florida" on Pangolin: The Conservation Podcast"Manatees" on Secretly Incredibly Fascinating"Top 10 Most Popular Animals in the World" on the 10ish PodcastFollow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Discord! Join Ellen for weekly video game streams on Twitch!Cover photos: Carlos Otávio Gussoni via iNaturalist (pumpkin toadlet), randimal via Getty images (newt)

Join Ellen & special guest, science writer Nick Lund, for a special episode nominating our very own top 3 candidates for the national bird of the United States of America! In addition to our bird selections, Nick gives us insight into the process that actually goes into designating official state birds, the history behind the bald eagle’s use as the country’s symbol and why the turkey was once famously suggested to be America’s Next Top Wattle.Follow The Birdist on Twitter!Check out our guest's books:The Ultimate Biography of Earth: From the Big Bang to Today! - Told in a lively, illustrated biography form to deliver its cutting-edge science in the most compelling way, here is the story of Earth, from the chaotic Hadean eon with its huge oceans of molten rock to today’s Cenozoic era, aka the Age of Mammals (and that includes us humans). Great for young curious minds!American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Maine -A photographic field guide with one bird featured per page. Each concise species

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! This week, Ellen steppes up to the plate with the saiga & Christian gar-ners support for the alligator gar. We discuss the inner workings of the saiga's bizarre nose, the funky antelope's conservation roller coaster ride, river monsters, and forbidden boba pearls.Learn more about saiga conservation & how you can support them with the Saiga Conservation Alliance!Hear about gars from Dr. Solomon David on his episode of Ologies from December of 2020: Garology (LONG CUTE ANCIENT PATIENT BOOPABLE NIGHTMARE FISH) with Solomon DavidFollow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram & join Ellen for weekly video game streams on Twitch!Cover photos: Victor Tyakht (saiga) & Bill Roque (alligator gar)

Join Ellen & conservationist, wildlife educator and streamer Maya Higa to talk about one of the toughest, bravest predators in the sky: red-tailed hawks! We talk about the joys of falconry and wildlife rehabilitation, the reckless raptor lifestyle, environmentally-friendly window decor, what to do if you find a baby bird on the ground, and what it’s like to work alongside these modern-day dinosaurs.Follow Maya on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter & Instagram!Learn more about Alveus Sanctuary & follow along with their work on Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok and Twitch!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram & join Ellen for weekly video game streams on Twitch!

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Christian reads the manual to the Japanese spider crab & Ellen turns up the heat with the Saharan silver ant. We discuss optical physics, exoskeletons, and the highs and lows of arthropod life from the dunes of the Sahara desert to the bottom of the ocean. Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram & join Ellen for weekly animal-themed video game streams on Twitch!Cover photo: Arrlxx via Getty images (Japanese spider crab) & Bjørn Christian Tørrissen via Wikipedia (Saharan silver ant)  

Join Ellen & special guest, entomologist Ilan Domnich, for a review of a fascinating family of bugs that are always one slow, methodical step ahead of the competition: assassin bugs! We discuss why their bite packs such a powerful punch, how they’re able to outsmart both predators and prey with downright machiavellian tactics like corpse armor and spawncamping and trap-setting, and what wonders you’ll find when you take a minute to stoop down and appreciate the intricacies of insects. This episode is quite long, but trust the process because this episode is PACKED with mind-blowing revelations about the cutthroat world of bugs.Visit the Bugs 101: Insect-Human Interactions course on Coursera!Follow Ilan on Instagram!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's trip to the childhood arcade, Ellen rolls around at the speed of sound with the European hedgehog & Christian crashes the party with the eastern barred bandicoot. We discuss the hedgehog's formidable defenses, the bandicoot's triumphant return from extinction, and the role these two remarkable critters played in our very own childhoods.Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!Email or DM us for a link to our Discord server. :)Cover photos: lostbear via Getty images (hedgehog), JJ Harrison via Wikipedia (bandicoot)

Join Ellen & special guest, zookeeper & host of the We Out Here podcast Alexi Grousis, for a review of a unique and mysterious creature bouncing around rainforest canopies by the light of the moon: owl monkeys! We talk about how owl monkeys have adjusted to thriving in the twilight, what’s going on behind those big bright eyes, and what it’s like to work with these little fluffy forest sprites.Check out The We Out Here Podcast on your podcast app & follow them on Twitter and Instagram!Follow Alexi on Twitter!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Join the Weatherfords for a fantasy roleplaying adventure as Christian plays a Dungeons & Dragons homebrew one-shot written by Ellen! In this week's episode, Monax Tufdert  takes on a clandestine mission of the reptilian persuasion from a local government official. Along the way, he seeks to befriend a dog, rescue wildlife in peril, and restore ecological balance to the wetlands.All sounds used in this episode came from freesound.org & attribution can be found here.Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Ellen & special guest, herbivore ecologist and researcher Kirsten Engeseth, who joins us all the way from Norway to review the fluffiest, softest living tank you’ve ever seen: the muskox! We talk about how these real-life Banthas keep warm in the harsh arctic winters, band together to defend their herd with unwavering honor, and do their absolute best to overcome the challenges of new environments and a changing world.Follow Kirsten on Twitter!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

For the second and final week of the MaxFunDrive, we're answering your questions and sharing your stories! We share some deeply personal intimate details like our inspirations behind the podcast, what the journey has been like to make it over the last 3 years, and how much ham we could eat in one sitting.Be a part of the MaxFunDrive & sign up to become a supporting member of the network and get access to exclusive content and beautiful gifts!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on our membership goals and news about upcoming livestreams.Follow @ginkgozee on Instagram for beautiful, Just the Zoo of Us inspired artwork! 

Join Ellen & special guest, archaeologist and cryptid enthusiast Elliot Helmer, on a search for the truth about our most mysterious neighbor: Bigfoot. We discuss hominid evolution, cryptid ecology, the importance of oral history and traditional knowledge, and what Bigfoot can teach us about ourselves and our own relationship with nature wherever you fall on the spectrum of skepticism. Visit the Black Trowel Collective to learn more about & support their mutual aid initiative for archaeology students, as well as the Na'ah Illahee Fund to  support their organization's work regenerating Indigenous communities.Follow Elliot on Twitter!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!Be a part of the MaxFunDrive & sign up to become a supporting member of the network and get access to exclusive content! 

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's re-broadcast of an episode from August of 2020, Ellen explains why emus don't bother flying and Christian dives into the mysterious world of the cryptic whale shark. We discuss the evolution, de-evolution and re-evolution of flight, an actual military war between humans and birds resulting in a victory you might not expect, and eyeballs covered with teeth.Send in questions for our upcoming Q&A episode to ellen@justthezooofus.com or message us on social media! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!Cover photo: cpaulfell (emu) & Chainarong Phrammanee (whale shark), via Getty images

Join Ellen & special guest, conservationist and podcaster Jack Baker,  for a review of the charming and humble pangolin! We discuss how the pangolin’s unique adaptations tip the scales in favor of this walking pinecone and what challenges they face in the world today.Check out Pangolin: The Conservation Podcast and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!Cover photo: 2630ben via Getty images